Fun Stuff > CHATTER
A Cooking Thread?
Ignominious:
Blank pizza bases are a thing in UK shops so I can say with a fair degree of certainty that it would happen here.
I think part of it is that pizza is mainly concieved of as a fast food so the idea of making it from scratch is a bit outside of people's cooking imagination.
I just made walnut and rocket pesto. Its awesome and incredibly easy.
Aimless:
Cauliflower rice: I thought it was just a gimmicky bullshit fad but goddamn is it ever so tasty and also fun to make. Remove the stems from the florets and use the largest grater attachment on your food processor, it takes approximately 1 min to make enough for 2 people. Lightly stir-fry or steam with onions and mushrooms for added flavor.
Eggs: steamer basket in a small saucepan with a small amount of boiling water, 7 minutes and then cooled as fast as possible (we just run cold water over it for a while). Perfectly set whites that aren't rubbery, perfect yolks that are just a tiny bit runny in the center, super easy to peel (tap each end hard and then the shell practically slides off on its own).
Fish: also surprisingly easy and tasty to steam. Salt, like, a LOT, let rest for up to 3 mins depending on your preferred consistency, wash off thoroughly, place in a steamer basket on top of mushrooms, onions or vegetables of your choice, maybe add a little soy sauce and then steam (lid on) for a few minutes (like 4 mins maximum). Serve with aforementioned cauliflower rice or green beans sautéed in canola and/or sesame-seed oil over high heat until they begin to brown a little bit (I don't even like green beans but they taste delicious cooked this way, even if they're frozen). If the fish is already prepped this takes 5-10 mins of active work, if not it takes a few minutes more in addition to the time it takes to cure the fish.
If you have a whole boneless side of fish eg. salmon, and you don't wanna bother with cutting it into portions, cure it, rinse thoroughly, place it skin-side up on a lightly oiled oven-proof tray (maybe with a few sprigs of rosemary underneath if you have it) and then chuck it into the oven. Turn on broiler and set it to max, keep an eye on the fish and when the skin begins to char a little (10 mins in our old oven), remove it from the oven. The skin comes right off, the fish is still juicy and you can serve it with the green beans you just sauteed while the fish cooked.
Our weeknight meals have become both much less complicated and time-consuming as well as much more satisfying. Two people can make varied, flavorful and healthy meals with less than 15 mins of active work and not too much mess.
tl;dr: cauliflower rice = good, steaming = good, curing/dry-brining fish = good.
Aimless:
--- Quote from: Metope on 08 Aug 2017, 20:50 ---Today I brought home made pizza for lunch at work, and everyone were amazed? Especially by the home made dough??? Several people asked me why I didn't just buy a pre-made dough from the store, and I'm like... why would I waste extra time and money at the store when I have all ingredients at home at any time?
I guess i'm generalizing, but this would never happen in Europe. Is this an American thing? Making basic things from scratch is so simple, and nobody here seems to do it. Why not?
--- End quote ---
I have wondered about this myself. I don't quite get the meal kit craze that's sweeping across the US but it seems to be related to these views. On the other hand, you also get the other extreme, with people making almost everything from scratch and taking a great deal of time making their food to perfection.
As for dough, I have very little confidence in my dough-making abilities whereas my wife always makes perfect doughs no matter what it is. The one dough I've had success with are the variations on no-knead doughs that you can keep in the fridge for days and just use a little every day to make rolls or pizza in 30 mins (not quite as good for pizza but still good).
Tova:
--- Quote from: Aimless on 03 Aug 2017, 09:42 ---We've continued our experiments with chicken [snip]
--- End quote ---
I have recently come to the conclusion that the only way in the future I will roast a chicken is after butterflying it.
You can blast it at a higher temperature. Everything comes out juicy and nice, even the breasts (they seem less prone to overcooking), and the skin comes out nice and crisp. Put it on a rack elevated at least to the height of your pan so that the hot air can circulate around it easily.
I like to loosen the skin and stuff herbs and butter underneath it.
The backbone, having been cut out during the butterflying, can be chopped up and used as the basis of a jus.
Cornelius:
--- Quote from: Aimless on 16 Aug 2017, 16:16 ---
--- Quote from: Metope on 08 Aug 2017, 20:50 ---Today I brought home made pizza for lunch at work, and everyone were amazed? Especially by the home made dough??? Several people asked me why I didn't just buy a pre-made dough from the store, and I'm like... why would I waste extra time and money at the store when I have all ingredients at home at any time?
I guess i'm generalizing, but this would never happen in Europe. Is this an American thing? Making basic things from scratch is so simple, and nobody here seems to do it. Why not?
--- End quote ---
I have wondered about this myself. I don't quite get the meal kit craze that's sweeping across the US but it seems to be related to these views. On the other hand, you also get the other extreme, with people making almost everything from scratch and taking a great deal of time making their food to perfection.
As for dough, I have very little confidence in my dough-making abilities whereas my wife always makes perfect doughs no matter what it is. The one dough I've had success with are the variations on no-knead doughs that you can keep in the fridge for days and just use a little every day to make rolls or pizza in 30 mins (not quite as good for pizza but still good).
--- End quote ---
I can say it happens over here as well. The point that's been made about people seeing pizza as fast food is definitely playing a part in it. However, I notice that fewer people seem to have a grasp of the basics, and think it's just too much bother.
On the other hand, I find that, try as I will, puff pastry comes out better if I buy it pre-made.
Doughs can be tricky; humidity and temperature play more of a role than most people realise. Also kneading it thorougly, I find to be a key element in many doughs, where you should keep kneading at twice as long as you think is right. Then again, kneading too much can be equally bad. The point is that baking really is science for hungry people, as there's quite a bit of bio-chemistry going on behind the screens - with unsurprisingly similar processes as when brewing.
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